Top Cow Productions - makers of the Tomb Raider comic book series - have made something of a faux pas today by inadvertently suggesting the release date of the next game in the seminal, if lately tarnished series. Tomb Raider VII should be with us in Summer 2005, according to reports. Top Cow revealed that their current series will be halting in January, in order to ready new comics to better reflect the new game, for the first time being created stateside by Crystal Dynamics.
"Once we spoke with Eidos and realised they were changing Lara Croft up quite a bit it seemed a prudent course to wrap up what we're doing now and prepare for the newer version sometime late next year," read the press release, adding that their comic creation "will relaunch in conjunction with the release of the seventh Tomb Raider video game in the summer of 2005."

Hopefully this gaff will spark a few more details from Eidos, who must been keen to assure of Tomb Raider's future prospects, after the last game's limp showing - and the subsequent departure of the series from creators Core. More soon. Maybe.

Tomb Raider 7 to be unveiled this autumn
Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider game "will be unveiled this autumn and is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of the current financial year," Eidos told the City today, as insiders claimed that the version they had seen was a lot more responsive and closer to the series' original ideology than previous sequels.

Apparently the new look Lara Croft, redeveloped by Crystal Dynamics after UK-based Core Design's Angel of Darkness title was so poorly received, is no long hamstrung by the 'turning circle' that afflicted previous Laras, and is a lot less fiddly in general.

We were also told that Lara's generally a lot more responsive and athletic when you get your hands on her, prancing about, grabbing onto things and swinging around with consummate ease. We hadn't been particularly convinced by executives' claims that the game is making "exciting progress", but the consensus is starting to pique our interest.

With Tomb Raider 7 now set to be unveiled within the next few months, and set to make its playable debut at E3 next May as Eidos tries to get the game out before the end of June - the end of its financial year - it shouldn't be too long before we get to put their claims to the test.

Tomb Raider 7 - Game on for Vehicles
In a rather curious turn of events, Tomb Raider publisher Eidos has toiled some subterfuge of its own by sending out feelers via PSM2 magazine on the future guise of the Lara Croft franchise, now under the direction of Californian developer Crystal Dynamics. Curious in the sense that we would have expected the seventh game to have surpassed the ideas and suggestions phase and be loitering midway along the production chain if Eidos are to keep to their planned Summer 2005 rollout date.

According to the magazine, a meeting with Eidos PR yielded some sparse details on the progress made so far. Eidos PR was quoted as saying an early build of Tomb Raider 7 had been attached to the Soul Reaver graphics engine and that core elements had been tinkered to include the introduction of vehicles that, hint Eidos, may assist problem solving elements littered throughout the game. Eidos has also revealed, after some affectionate prodding from PSM2, that Crystal intend to transport Lara back to her origins as ardent Tomb Raider, procurer of all things ancient.

Eidos also mooted a game more in tune with Prince of Persia's agility and level design, before immediately binding PSM2 to an order of secrecy and exiting the meeting at haste. Tomb Raider 7 - tentatively titled... well, Tomb Raider 7 - is penned for a Summer 2005 commercial debut on platforms yet to be specified.